Geography of New Haven
Encompassing just a tad more than 20 square miles, New Haven is a relatively average town on paper. Don’t let its size fool you, though-- among those 20 square miles of mostly dry land, there’s a variety of noteworthy geographical features throughout the largely urban settlement.
For starters, New Haven collectively holds more than 20 distinct neighborhoods and districts. As far as the town’s water systems go, a number of streams connect to the Quinnipiac and West rivers which flow throughout several cities in Connecticut, including New Haven. Those rivers both eventually connect to New Haven Harbor and West Haven Harbor respectively, two important components to the city’s structure that eventually flow into Long Island Sound.
Arguably the most noteworthy geographical landmark of New Haven is a particularly attractive set of ridges known as East Rock and West Rock. These iconic ridges peak at over 360 feet and 700 feet respectively and house a plethora of landmarks within themselves, a trait which should come as no surprise given their state park status. While East Rock has plenty of room for recreational activities and a monument to soldiers lost in the Civil War, West Rock is the more history-riddled of the two on account of its significance in regard to pre-United States politics.
Collectively, the two ridges stretch over 8 miles on their own and West Rock has a tunnel carved clear through it known as Heroes Tunnel in honor of 9/11. They’re open to visitors most of the weather-friendly months of the year, so feel free to stop by some time and check them out yourself.
These ridges are bit of an anomaly, however. The city is relatively flat for the most part with the towering ridges being an extravagant exception.
Climate of New Haven
The climate is probably the most ordinary thing about New Haven. It's about what you’d expect from a Connecticut city on the water: humid summers and cold winters, but overall mild and generally comfortable for the locals.
New Haven has above-average rainfall and storms aren’t uncommon during summer months, but you won’t often see seriously concerning weather in the area. You can expect a lot of snow in the winter months, but nothing unmanageable. Overall, it’s a fairly pleasant atmosphere not unlike its surrounding areas.
Demographics and Population
New Haven is home to over 130,000 people as of 2019 [https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/newhavencityconnecticut] . Its population is primarily made up of people between the ages of 18 and 65 with a slightly higher percentage of female occupants than males. The majority of the population is white with a substantial African American and Latino presence as a close second. New Haven has a history as an immigration town in early America, and as a direct result, there’s a substantial Italian presence with the dominant religion in the area being Catholicism.
Despite the fairly small footprint overall, New Haven has nearly 50,000 established households. The economy of the town does fairly well with the median income being over $42,000 and the unemployment rate staying relatively low. Its population per square mile is above average, unsurprisingly-- around 7000 people per square mile in fact. All those people collectively operate around 9000 businesses across the city. It may sound a bit cramped, but that’s a natural side effect of a quality town like New Haven.